General Systems Manager - Chad

Date requested: 16 September 2014

Contract Grade: B

Contract Length: 2 years

Date Needed By: 1st November 2014

New Post or Replacement: Replacement

Accompanied / Unaccompanied: Unaccompanied

Exact Job Location: Goz Beida (Eastern Chad) with monthly trips to N’Djamena. In 2015, likely to be relocated to N’Djamena

Reports To: Country Director

Responsible For: N’Djamena and Goz Beida Admin and Logistics

Liaises With: ACD Programmes, Goz Beida Programme Coordinator, Programme Managers, Suppliers, government officials, logistics and admin managers at other INGOs and UN agencies

Job Purpose:

To lead and manage the Logistics (procurement, transport, warehouse & assets), IT and Administration functions for Concern programmes in Chad. To manage the day to day security of the country programme as the Deputy Security Focal Point. As a member of the Country Management Team (CMT) contribute to the strategic management of the country programme.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

SENIOR MANAGEMENT ROLE

• Participate in      the development of Concern Chad’s Country Strategic Plan (CSP) andother strategic frameworks (Preparing for      Effective Emergency Response(PEER), Security      Management Plan (SMP) etc) in collaboration with all relevant      staff and third parties as necessary
• Participate in the management of the      country programme’s strategic      issues as a member of the Country Management Team (CMT)
• Prepare and      roll out country-specific admin and logistics policies and guidelines and      provide training to relevant staff
• In conjunction with      the CD, prepare and roll out country-specific security management policies      and guidelines and provide training to relevant staff

• Advise the CMT of admin, logistics and security issues affecting project implementation and find cost effective and timely solutions
• Prepare and manage the N’Djamena and Goz Beida Admin and Transport budgets
• Ensure that all scheduled activities (eg stock counts) and reports (eg Donations in Kind) required by HQ are carried out on a timely basis.
• Carry out a logistics, admin and security assessment of any new programme location(s)
• Put in place management information systems to monitor and regularly report on the effectiveness of the admin and logistics functions
• Liaise with admin and logistics senior managers in other International NGOs, sharing best practice and practical information

PROGRAMME SUPPORT

• Provide technical leadership and advice to department staff and to managers in all locations on specific admin or logistics issues
• At the start of any new donor contract identify and communicate all donor-specific requirements to the relevant personnel in all departments to ensure compliance throughout the duration of the project
• At the end of the financial year or donor contract period ensure Finance is provided with accurate information for accruals.

PROCUREMENT

• Ensure Concern and donor procurement procedures are understood and complied with by all relevant personnel
• Ensure the Logistics teams maintain a clear, well-documented paper trail in their files
• Ensure the timely order of supplies from Dublin that are in line with approved budget expenditure
• Take the lead on supplier selection, contract negotiation and on-going contract management for high value contracts

WAREHOUSE AND ASSET MANAGEMENT

• Ensure that all procedures and controls are in place for warehouse management, including storage and movement of goods and programme materials.
• Ensure all assets lists and inventories are properly recorded and maintained

TRANSPORT MANAGEMENT

• Ensure effective fleet management is in place in all locations in accordance with Concern procedures
• Review all monthly transport reports on fuel usage, mileage, repairs and maintenance for each vehicle and follow up on any potential issues
• Assess the transport requirements of the country programme on a regular basis and ensure that appropriate solutions (eg vehicle rental arrangements, transfers between country programme locations, vehicle procurement to increase the fleet and / or to replace old assets) are implemented on a timely basis to meet these needs

ADMINISTRATION

• Oversee the on-going maintenance and running of Concern’s premises (offices, stores and residences) ensuring that adequate supplies, services, staffing and support systems are in place
• Ensure the leases for all premises are actively managed, ensuring payments (including taxes) are processed on a timely basis and that contract renewals are assessed and implemented or amended on a timely basis
• Ensure compliance with relevant Chadian law in all contractual and taxation matters (other than HR-related) and liaise with the Concern lawyer on all legal matters
• Ensure that clear procedures for travel arrangements (autorisations de circuler, Ordres de Mission, national and international flight bookings, accommodation either in hotels or within Concern residences) are in place and are understood and complied with by all staff
• Ensure that all issues related to taxes, government authorisations (such as licences on communications equipment, legal registration, project authorisations etc) are managed proactively

COMMUNICATION & IT SYSTEMS SUPPORT

• Supervise the IT staff to ensure that IT systems are effective
• Ensure that all staff understand and comply with IT policies and procedures
• Ensure that IT and communication needs of all staff are met on a timely basis
• Ensure that all communication equipment is operational and used in line with communication protocol policy and that requisite training is provided to staff

SECURITY MANAGEMENT

• Manage the security of Concern staff and assets on a day to day basis as the Deputy Security Focal Point, in close collaboration with the CD
• Provide support in the maintenance and implementation of the SMP
• Support best practice in security management procedures and practice ensuring compliance with Concern’s policies and procedures.

STAFF MANAGEMENT

• Lead and manage Logistics, IT and Administration staff, contributing to their capacity building and career development through on-the-job training and coaching, including in particular a thorough induction at the start of their contract
• Ensure that all positions in the department have accurate job descriptions
• Ensure each member of the team fully understands outcomes which are expected of them by setting SMART objectives, and that they are aware of the success criteria relating to their work
• Monitor and review performance and hold staff accountable for meeting the success criteria; give corrective feedback where required and take decisive action in the case of poor performance
• Ensure that work within the team(s) is planned and organised in a way which will meet the organisation’s needs in the most cost effective manner possible; ensuring that team members are given appropriate workloads and are working efficiently while also ensuring appropriate segregations of duty for control purposes
• Identify and take appropriate action to fill resource gaps (create new roles or launch timely recruitment to replace a leaver)

OTHER:

• Take      active measures to address equality issues, particularly relating to      gender, in programme as well as operational (eg HR) activities.

• Actively participate in any emergency response if called upon to do so (within the existing programme area or in a new one).

• Undertake      other related duties as may reasonably be assigned by the Country Director.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

ESSENTIAL

Education, Qualifications & Experience Required:

• Degree      in logistics, management, business administration or a relevant profession
• Five      years’ experience managing supply chain logistics and transport in an      international environment
• Three      years overseas experience in a systems management role with an      international NGO
• Experience      in managing a team and in staff capacity development
• Fluent      French and good English

DESIRABLE

Education, Qualifications & Experience Desired:

• Previous      Concern experience
• IT,      Communications equipment experience
• Mechanical      knowledge of solar power systems
• Financial      management skills
• Knowledge      of humanitarian principles
• Experience      of working/living in an insecure environment

Special Skills, Aptitude or Personality Requirements:

• Excellent negotiation skills
• Ability      to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines
• Good      team worker
• Good      Communication and Networking Skills
• Ability      to communicate in Arabic is an advantage.

All applications should be submitted through our website at https://jobs.concern.net by closing date CV’s should be no more than 4 pages in length.

Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be short listed on a regular basis and we may offer posts before the closing date.

Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.

Concern has a Staff Code of Conduct and a Programme Participant Protection Policy which have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organization, and the standards of behaviour expected of them. In this context staff have a responsibility to the organization to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Programme Participant Protection Policy and the Concern Staff Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment.   By signing the Programme Participant Protection Policy and the Concern Staff Code of Conduct candidates acknowledge that they have understood the contents of both the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and the Programme Participant Protection Policy and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these two documents.

Concern receives a substantial amount of funding from external donors each year. Increasingly donors are introducing requirements whereby future funding is conditional on Concern ensuring that the names of any new employee or volunteer do not appear on terrorism lists generated by the European Union (List of person, groups and entities to which Regulation (EC No. 2580/2001 applies), the US Government (Office of Foreign Assets Control list of specially designated Nationals and Blocked Persons) and the United Nations (Consolidated List). Any offer of employment (either paid or voluntary) with Concern Worldwide will not be made pending a clearance check being conducted on the applicant. For additional information please consult our web site or contact the Human Resource Division in our Head Office.

Concern Worldwide is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.